Smooth Sailing ✓ [Republishing]

18 | apricot and ginger

Sometimes, the heart sees what is invisible to the eye.

-H. Jackson Brown, Jr-
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Also, the last chapter has been rewritten (21st August 2019 (yes years after it was first written because I was no longer happy with the way it went.)

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- L I L A -

It was hours after lunch, after school when I was stood at my front door, keys in hand as Matthew stood behind him, his lips pressed against my shoulder. A hand rested on my waist and I smiled as I felt his lips part in a grin against me.

Silence surrounded us as Matthew held me close to him, his hot breath fanning my neck. But, a clear of a throat interrupted us, my dad standing in between the threshold of the now opened door.

"Hi, Matthew." He grinned, his smile faltering when he noticed our position. "Am I interrupting something?"

Matthew let go of me, putting some distance between us. "Not at all." He smiled softly, unfolding his dark glasses and putting them on. I linked our fingers together and slipped us past my dad's tall frame.

"We're going to go up to my room, Dad."

He caught my eye and stared at me with raised eyebrows. "With the door open, please." He revealed his protective side show as he shut the front door with the heel of his foot.

Matthew chuckled and turned his head in my dad's direction. "I'd never try anything inappropriate, sir."

"And that's why I like you." My dad grinned, clapping him on the back before proceeding to walk towards the kitchen.

Upon entering my room, Matthew sighed and linked a strong arm around my waist, tugging me closer to him. Without a word, he rested his cane on the cupboard adjacent to him and placed a gentle hand on my cheek.

He pulled me in for a soft kiss, his lips gently caressing mine. He slowly moved his mouth to my forehead, tenderly laying a kiss on it. "You mean so much to me, Lila," he breathed into my hair, wrapping me in a warm embrace. "When you said you needed to talk, I thought you were going to break up with me."

I tilted my head upwards and pressed my lips to his for a short while. He smiled in the midst of the kiss, pecking my lips multiple times. I laughed and tugged on his hand, falling onto the bed.

He leaned himself against the headboard of my bed, respectfully slipping his shoes off before he spread his legs out. Motioning for me to come sit on his lap, he nuzzled his nose into my shoulder, intertwining our hands.

"I want to try and look at you." He whispered, rubbing the back of my hand with the pad of his thumbs.

"What?" I questioned, shifting slightly to accommodate myself better.

He gripped my waist, clenching his jaw and giving me a small smile. "Just don't move," he laughed, slipping his glasses off. A thin sheet of red powdered his cheeks, his grey eyes seeming happier.

"If I'm really close, I can see the shape of things. It's really blurry and isn't clear at all, but I want to see your face and help the image in my mind."